Author: Imelda Osayande

Edo guber: NBA urges political parties to play the rules

Law

By Imelda Osayande

Benin, June 24, 2024 (NAN) Nosa Edo-Osage, Chairman, Benin Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has urged the 13 political parties participating in the coming governorship election in Edo to play by the rules.

Edo-Osagie made the call at the opening ceremony of the Annual Law Week of the branch also known as the Lion Bar on Monday in Benin.

The theme of this year is: “Law as a tool for economic advancement and national security”.

Edo-Osagie said that there was the need to ensure that the political parties and their candidates play by the rules to enthrone peace.

According to him, what is critical to the NBA is that they must play by the rules to avoid break down of the law and order.

“Anarchy is not what we crave for because when there is anarchy, there is a bigger problem than you expect.

”So for all those aspirants in the field, they must by necessity play by the rules.”

Earlier, the Chairman, Planning Committee of the Law Week, Mr Paschal Ugbome said the theme was chosen to reflect the current realities in the country.

Ugbome said that solutions to the issues would also be proffered at the end of the programme

He said that economic advancement and national security were capable of either moving the nation forward or make it remained static or totally collapse as a nation.

“As lawyers, we decided to look at it from the prism of law because we believe that law is a pivot on which these two issues rotate.

“We will interrogate how we have fared as lawyers, where the law itself has failed as an instrument for economic advancement to guarantee national security.

“We believe we will come out with a way forward on these issues at the end of the Week.”

In his goodwill message, Gov Godwin Obaseki, who was represented by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi said theme of the weeklong activity was apt.

“We must examine our legal framework with the possibility of reforming it to ensure it is fit for the current realities,” Obaseki said .

Present at the occasion are Mr Asue Ighodalo, governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who are both members of the NBA.

Others are Sen. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC). They were invited by the NBA as speakers.(NAN) www.nannews.ng

IMEL/JI

Edited by Joe Idika

Candidacy

By Imelda Osayande

Benin, June 11, 2024 (NAN) Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court in Benin has reserved judgment on the candidacy legal tussle arising from the Labour Party (LP) governorship primaries until July 19.

Mr Kenneth Imansuangbon had approached the Federal High Courts in Benin and Abuja, challenging the nomination of Olumide Akpata as the party’s candidate for the Sept. 21 governorship election.

Imansuangbon’s challenge is on the grounds of LP not following the electoral guidelines in the primaries and Akpata not filling and signing the indemnity form among other grounds.

After two adjournments, the case eventually came up for hearing on Tuesday with counsel to the parties adopting their written addresses.

Imansuangbon’s lead counsel, A.A. Malik (SAN), alleged that the first defendant (Akpata) violated critical elements of the electoral processes and party constitution.

Malik pointed out that his client had disclosed reasonable cause of action on the matter and urged the court to throw away the submission of the first defendant.

He also prayed the court to declare and return the plaintiff as the winner, or, on the alternative, void and nullify the primary election, ordering a fresh election.

He alleged that the conduct of the LP primaries was marred with overvoting, which ran contrary to the party guidelines and the constitution.

Meanwhile, the defence counsel, Kadiri Asamah (SAN), who doubles as Akpata’s running mate, described the plaintiff’s submission as baseless; one that couldn’t be litigated by the court.

He added that it was a pre-primary issue and as such be dismissed by the court.

Asamah, while adopting all the arguments contained in his written addresses, urged the court to dismiss the written addresses of the plaintiff as an abuse of court processes.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the LP primaries were conducted on Feb. 23. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

IMEL/MAS

Edited by Moses Solanke

Conviction
By Imelda Osayande
Benin, June 10, 2024 (NAN) A Benin High Court, on Monday, sentenced a 23-year-old man, Joseph Edosa, to two years in prison for fraud.
Justice Efe Ikponmwonba convicted Edosa after he had prayed the court for a plea bargain arrangement.
Ikponmwonba, however, gave him an option of N100,000 fine.
The Prosecutor for Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr K.Y. Bello, said that Edosa had, on May 21 in Benin, found to be in possession of documents, which he knew contained false pretence.
Bello said that the offence was contrary to Sections 6 and 8(b) of Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud-related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
He said that in the plea bargain agreement, Edosa had pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of possession of fraudulent documents.
According to him, the convict shall forfeit an iPhone 12 Promax and an HP laptop recovered from him as instrumentality of the crime.
He also said that Edosa would forfeit the sum of N3.4 million in his UBA account and the N3.1 million in his FCMB account with which he was charged and convicted, to the Federal Government through EFCC. (NAN) (www.nannew.ng)
IMEL/DEB/WAS
Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq

Court orders forfeiture of AAU graduate’s cars, iPhones to FG

Conviction

By Imelda Osayande

Benin, June 10, 2024 (NAN) A Benin High Court on Monday ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to sell a Toyota Venza 2012 model, recovered from a graduate of Biochemistry from Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma AAU, Osadolor Edomwonyi.

The EFCC charged Edomwonyi with internet fraud.

Delivering judgment, Justice Efe Ikponmwonba, sentenced Edomwonyi to three years imprisonment.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone 13 Promax, recovered from the convict .

He also ordered that balances in his Opay account, Kids Bank account and Access bank with which he was charged and convicted to the Federal Government through EFCC and the accounts be parmanently closed.

The convivt prayed the court for a plea bargain agreement.

Ikponmwonba, however, gave him an option of fine in the sum of N100,000.

Earlier, the EFCC counsel, Mr I K Agwaisaid the convict committed an offence contrary to the provisions of sections 6 and 8 (b) of the advance free fraud and other fraud-related offences Act 2006 and punishable under section 1(3) of the same Act

The prosecutor said that in a plea bargain agreement, Edomwonyi pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of possession of fraudulent documents (NAN)(www.nannew.ng)
IMEL/SH

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edited by Sadiya Hamza